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Crashing a Ferrari was the best life lesson I've ever had

I screamed out a string of expletives as the gleaming Rosso Corsa-bodied F430 spun sideways through the curve, locking up the brakes, and sending the $240,000 Italian masterpiece sliding into the forest, coming to an abrupt and grinding halt, narrowly missing the tree line and avoiding my untimely death. As the proverbial dust had settled, I knew that I had been through one of the most harrowing experiences of my life and I was alive to tell the story. I knew for sure I would never live this down, not financially and definitely not socially ... or so I thought. Big mistakes often have a polarizing effect where on-one-hand we don't have a real way to know the scope of the damage and this results in fear of the unknown, but on the other hand we usually know we're okay and this results in strange internal calmness. For me this experience led to a major life lesson, an amazing story to tell, and a level of humility that served to be instrumental in all of my future endeavors. Throughout my entire childhood I had built up an obsession with Ferrari. I grew up with a poster of a yellow F355 Spyder above my bed, and like many kids I admired fast, ridiculous, and unattainable cars. Fast forward to adulthood, I found an opportunity that coincided with my love for these cars and a chance to drive one from the lauded brand as a birthday present to myself. A local exotic car rental business had a package that allowed you to test drive six exotic cars from various manufacturers, each more colorful and ostentatious than the last. I knew this was my chance to come up close and personal with the cars of my dreams. That is, until the whole experience went awry. On the day of my dream car tour, I drove myself and a friend to the New Jersey headquarters of the rental company. Greeted by nearly two dozen of the finest exotic vehicles available for purchase, doors open, the visual experience alone proved to be astounding. In addition to completing a slew of legal paperwork, we were all required to watch an introductory safety briefing, complete with photos of various past mishaps on the tour. The instructor stressed the importance of safety and actions we should take care to avoid. Our carefully planned route along the winding hills of Harriman State Park were detailed prior to departure. Each of the six drivers for that day would take their allotted turns at commanding two-Lamborghinis, two-Bentleys, one-Maserati and one-Ferrari.

Ferrari building 350 unique special editions for its 70th anniversary

Ferrari has been in business since 1947, which makes 2017 the automaker's 70th birthday. To celebrate its old age, the company has reportedly decided to create 350 bespoke special editions, each different from the next. According to Autocar, the company made the announcement to 100 owners and collectors in Venice, Italy, last weekend during the Ferrari Cavalcade. The 350 unique models will come from Ferrari's current lineup, and will include 70 each of the California T, 488 GTB, 488 Spider, GTC4 Lusso, and F12 Berlinetta. The Italian automaker chose 70 of the most iconic vehicles from its past to inspire the upcoming special editions, with each of the 350 examples being unique. To get this level of exclusivity, the Tailor-Made division, which handles the company's extra-custom orders, will lend a helping hand in design. The hardest thing for Ferrari, however, won't be putting 350 unique models on the road, but deciding how to pick which owners and collectors get the opportunity to purchase them. According to Ferrari boss Sergio Marchionne, that is "the most difficult part of what I do." Yep, sounds like a tough job, turning away millionaires. Autocar reports that Ferrari will reveal the 350 special-edition models at the Paris Motor Show in October, but that sounds like a difficult task. We're guessing they won't all be present, but that would sure be a sight to see. Related Video:

Jay Leno's Garage kicks off season 2 Wednesday

A few days ago, we wrote about the upcoming season of Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Now the second season of Jay Leno's Garage is nearly here with a full 12-episode run. The previous season did well. The first episode was CNBC's most-watched original series ever, with 916,000 viewers tuning in when it aired in early October. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The first episode of season two launches on CNBC on Wednesday, June 15th, and it focuses on supercars. Nick Cannon is one of the stars in this week's episode, and he shows off his Ferrari California – a car which Cannon likes to drive at cruising speeds. The other guests during the second season include actor-turned-racecar-driver Patrick Dempsey, comedians Tim Allen and Dan Aykroyd, musician Brad Paisley, and Caitlyn and Kendall Jenner, according to TVNewser. Related Video: News Source: CNBC via AdweekImage Credit: Getty Images Auto News Celebrities Ferrari Special and Limited Editions Supercars Jay Lenos Garage jerry seinfeld cnbc